Posted by Lieutenant Commander Hilo (Counselor) in CNS Office: Cadet Riley Psychological Evaluation

Posted by Cadet Matthew Riley (Scientist) in CNS Office: Cadet Riley Psychological Evaluation
Matthew double-checked his PADD, ensuring he was going the correct direction. Left at the next intersection, he thought. He wasn’t looking forward to this - not that he had anything to hide, he just had done an evaluation three months ago, when he started his previous rotation… and three months before that on his first Academy cruise. Starfleet protocol called for a new evaluation at the beginning of each assignment, which made sense for assignments regularly lasting years, but not for cadet assignments. Matthew mentally shrugged. Not his job, nor his specialty. The Academy is stressful, he chastised himself. Maybe the constant evals don’t help you, but they probably help a lot of others.

Taking the next hallway, he lifted the PADD, thumbing the public profile for the counselor open from the appointment. Lieutenant Commander… Hee-low? High-low? Stars above, Matt, just call him Commander. The PADD chimed, alerting him he was at the office, and Matthew pressed the door chime. The doors whispered open, and he hoped this wouldn’t be a repeat of meeting his department head.

• Cadet Riley, Science

The door to the counselor’s office slid open automatically, obviously expecting Riley’s arrival for his appointment. The room inside was of decent size by dimension, but was filled with an assortment of furniture, art, and lots and lots of plants. In the primary space, a high-backed armchair sat facing a loveseat couch, both adorned with a warm brown cloth fabric and designed for comfort when sitting for extended periods. The loveseat was flanked by two intricate end tables made of dark wood, each of which had an arrangement of little statues, candles, and a tissue box. A hemp rug bridged the space between the two seating options.

There was a desk pushed up against the far wall, but it was almost obscured by an indoor jungle’s worth of potted plants on that side of the room that hung from the ceiling, stood in large vases, or sat on shelves with dozens of other specimens. The plants, in combination with the earth tones of the furniture and the slightly yellowed lighting in the office gave the space a tropical atmosphere. Indeed, the plant life might even make the air feel be a bit more fresh, to those with keen senses.

Among the plants, a tall man with tanned skin and pushed-back brown hair turned to peered through the foliage as the door to his office opened. A small circular symbol sat on his forehead, indicating that he was from Risa. He grinned as he maneuvered through the organic maze. “Cadet Riley! Welcome! I’m counselor Hilo. Please, come in! In fact, come over here,” Hilo said as he motioned toward the jungle, leaving the seating area ignored for now. “I saw that you got your degree in exobiology, and I was wondering if you had any recommendations for which flora I should add to my collection next.”

Hilo leaned over the computer screen on the desk, although doing so required him to push aside some broad leaves from a tall fern. He moved aside to let Riley access the console, which listed a variety of species from across the quadrant that Hilo was considering.

(Lt. Cmdr. Hilo, Counselor)

OOC: Welcome, Nathan! I’m excited to write with you! I’m looking forward to learning more about your character. In this thread, we’ll discuss your character’s personality and backstory. This way, we can explore some things to add to your character’s bio, if you’d like! Cheers!

Ben

Matthew froze for a moment, brown eyes sweeping the counselor and the jungle. “Um, hello, Counselor,” he responded, “Yes, at the Academy. Though my specialty is more in physics.”

He approached the desk, ducking one plant, pulling another creeper from his blond hair. “I thought it would be good to expand my repertoire.” He reviewed the selection of plants. “I may not be the best for this - we have a botanist on staff in Science who would be better.” He leaned closer to the display. “But I do like Centaurian lilies,” he said, pointing. “There was a garden of them outside the residential building I stayed in on Alpha Centauri. They bioluminesce as part of the fertilization cycle. It was quite pretty.”

He stood and pondered for a moment. “Though I think the water table there is more alkaline than ours, so you may need to use a separate watering source than the rest of your plants,” he gestured around. “Though… you may already be doing that with this many,” he added sheepishly.

• Cadet Riley, Science